Pedal depressing apparatus have been known for some time in the field of tools for auto mechanics. These tools are used generally to hold down vehicle pedals like accelerators, brake pedals and clutch pedals allowing a mechanic to move away from the area and alleviating the necessity of a helper while performing work on the vehicle.
Pedal depressing tools of the prior art are believed to belong to two broad groups. The tools of the first group use a telescoping shaft and are either mechanically or hydraulically actuated. The tools are used to depress and maintain a vehicle's pedal in a fixed position relative to the seat, steering wheel or dash board of the vehicle. Examples of pedal depressing tools of the first group are disclosed in the following patent documents:
U.S. Pat. No. 1,707,113 issued on Mar. 26, 1929, to E. F. Christ; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 1,877,367 issued on Sep. 13, 1932 to A. B. Seppmann; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 1,907,835 issued on May 9, 1933 to H. W. Langbein; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 5,012,689 issued on May 7, 1991 to S. R. Smith; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 5,031,729 issued on Jul. 16, 1991 to J. Wittkop et al.; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 5,201,488 issued on Apr. 13, 1993 to D. L. Hadbavny; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 5,299,668 issued on Apr. 5, 1994 to W. L. Youngers et al.; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,127 issued on May, 23, 1995 to A. Bueti et al.; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 1,681,192 issued on Aug. 21, 1928 to A. C. M.sup.c Bride; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,513,850 issued on Jul. 4, 1950 to J. E. Digman; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,694,318 issued on Nov. 16, 1954 to A. M. Smith, Sr. et al., PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,932,504 issued on Apr. 12, 1960 to T. L. Avery; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,125,898 issued on Mar. 24, 1964 to F. M. Maples et al.; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,722,266 issued on Mar. 27, 1973 to J. C. Dunham; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,910,135 issued on Oct. 7, 1975 to A. C. Phillips;
Another type of brake pedal depressing tools of the prior art comprises a telescoping rod having a spring mounted therein for continually urging a brake pedal down or forward. These tools are mounted generally between the pedal and the dash board or to the seat of the vehicle. Some of the tools of this second type are disclosed in the following documents:
It will be appreciated that the bleeding of a brake system of a vehicle often requires two, three or sometimes more actuations of the brake pedal to completely evacuate the air from the brake fluid lines and brake pistons. The initial push of the brake pedal is easily done using one of the tools of the prior art. The second and subsequent actuations of the brake pedal, however, often requires the removal and re-installation of the tool of the prior art in order to allow the brake pedal to return to a release position. This removal and re-installation of the tool can represent a laborious task especially when the brake job is performed while the vehicle is raised on a hoist for example.
Although most of the tools of the prior art deserve undeniable merits, there is no known manual tool that allows a back-and-forth actuation of the brake pedal of a vehicle. There is no known prior art tool that has the appropriate structure to allow an auto mechanic working on a hoisted vehicle to repeatedly apply and release the brakes while standing outside the vehicle.